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Finding tenders and choosing the ones to bid for

Where public contracts appear, how to watch them free, how to read a notice in ten minutes, and a bid/no-bid screen so you stop chasing everything.

SMEsFoundersCharities and social enterprises19 min readChecked 18 October 2026
On this page
  1. The reality
  2. Where opportunities appear, and how to watch them free
    1. Find a Tender: one account, three saved searches
    2. Pipeline and market engagement notices: the year before the tender
    3. Buyer portals: one free registration each
    4. Frameworks, dynamic markets, subcontracting and consortia
  3. Read a notice in ten minutes
    1. Red flags
  4. Bid or no bid: decide in a day
    1. The knockout screen, within 24 hours
    2. The weighted score
    3. What a bid costs: estimates, not benchmarks
    4. Where the odds are better
  5. Build a pipeline you can run in an hour a week
  6. Pitfalls
  7. Checklist
  8. Questions
    1. Where do I find UK public sector tenders now that Contracts Finder has closed?
    2. Do I need to pay for a tender alert service?
    3. How do I find tenders from North West councils?
    4. What is a pipeline notice?
    5. How do I decide whether to bid for a tender?
    6. How long does a public sector bid take?
    7. Can a small firm with no public-sector track record win?
  9. Sources

Public contracts are easy to find and expensive to chase. This guide sets up a free watch for the notices that matter, shows what to pull from a notice in ten minutes, and gives you a bid/no-bid screen so your bidding days go on tenders you can win.

  • Find a Tender, on the Central Digital Platform (CDP), is free to search; a GOV.UK One Login adds saved searches and email alerts13. Contracts Finder stopped being a publication route on 1 October 20264.
  • Bids go through buyers' own portals. One free registration on The Chest (ProContract) covers over 30 North West councils plus GMCA, TfGM and Liverpool City Council. Lancashire County Council, each NHS buyer and the universities need their own141123.
  • Pipeline and preliminary market engagement notices come before the tender, while lots, timescales and evidence tests can still change.87.
  • Decide within 24 hours: a knockout screen, then a weighted score. Pursue at 70 or more, review 50 to 69, decline below 50 and log why.
  • SMEs do best where tenders are smaller: local government sent 34% of its direct spend to SMEs in 2025, and below-threshold work can be reserved for SMEs, VCSEs or local firms7241.

The reality

  • 34% of local government's direct procurement spend in England went to SMEs in 2025, against 21% across the public sector72
  • 10+ days of work for a good bid, GOV.UK's own estimate5
  • 25 days minimum tender window when all documents are published electronically with the notice44
  • 17 notice types under the Act on Find a Tender, from UK1 (pipeline) to UK17 (payments compliance)3
  • 1 October 2026 Contracts Finder's publication role "discontinued, or replaced by publication on the CDP"4
  • £0 is the right price for seeing a tender: "you should not pay to view opportunities in the public sector"1

From the Tussell and BCC tracker72:

SME share of direct public procurement spend, England, 2025
Local government34%£29.1bn, up every year since 2020
Whole public sector21%£45.2bn, a six-year high

Nobody can tell you the SME win rate

No credible public UK figure exists for bids won over bids submitted. Tussell measures shares of spend, and one agency's "84% win rate across 2,000+ bids" is its own claim55. Your only benchmark is your own: the statutory assessment summary on each loss, logged bid by bid61.

Where opportunities appear, and how to watch them free

Find a Tender: one account, three saved searches

Every Act-era notice appears on Find a Tender, and searching needs no account1. Register on the CDP before you quote for anything: since the Procurement (Amendment) Regulations 2026 a buyer needs your CDP identifier before it can publish even a below-threshold contract details notice4. Have ready your Companies House number, two years of accounts if you have them, connected persons and any convictions1.

A GOV.UK One Login lets you "save search criteria" and receive emails "when new notices are published that meet your search criteria"23. The filters that matter, read on 18 October 20263:

Filter What it offers Use it for
Industry CPV code "Browse CPV codes". CPV is the Common Procurement Vocabulary, the numeric codes that say what is being bought Your three to six codes, checked against notices you would have bid for
Notice type Act notices UK1 to UK17, including UK1 pipeline, UK2 preliminary market engagement, UK4 tender, UK6 contract award and UK7 contract details Separate searches for early warning, live tenders and who won
Contract location "Select regions" North West, plus anywhere you would travel
Suitability SME; VCSE Work reserved or flagged for firms like yours
Commercial tool Framework; dynamic market or DPS Openings and call-offs on routes you are on or want
Value and dates Minimum and maximum value, including or excluding VAT; publication and closing dates Cut the noise above your capacity

Set these three saved searches today

  1. Live tenders: your CPV codes, your regions, "Open opportunities only". Clear it daily.
  2. Early warning: the same codes, notice types UK1 and UK2, every region you would serve. Read it weekly.
  3. Who won: the same codes, UK6 and UK7. This is your list of incumbents to study and primes to approach for subcontracting.

GOV.UK's charities guide (21 July 2026) still says to search Contracts Finder twice a week, but publication there "is discontinued, or replaced by publication on the CDP, from 1 October 2026". The advice now fits only procurements started before 24 February 2025, which run under the old rules456.

Pipeline and market engagement notices: the year before the tender

Authorities spending over £100m a year must publish, within 56 days of their financial year starting, an 18-month pipeline of procurements over £2m7. Wirral and TfGM publish theirs on Find a Tender; Lancashire publishes a 2026-27 pipeline spreadsheet, Wigan its commissioning intentions for 2026 to 2029, and STAR Procurement its six councils' 18-month pipelines910111213.

The notices arrive in this order3861:

From pipeline to contract: the notices you will see
  1. UK1 pipelineup to 18 months ahead, from the big spenders
  2. UK2 preliminary market engagementyour chance to shape lots and tests
  3. UK4 tender noticethe clock starts: usually at least 25 days
  4. Clarifications and submissionthrough the buyer's portal
  5. Assessment summaryyour scores and reasons, win or lose
  6. UK6 contract award, then UK7 contract detailswho won, and at what value

A buyer that talks to the market before tendering must publish a preliminary market engagement (PME) notice first, or explain in the tender notice why not. The buyer "can engage with everyone who expresses an interest", may run SME-only sessions, must keep records and must not tailor the procurement to one supplier8.

How to answer a PME notice

  • Reply in writing, by the date, answering its questions in its order.
  • Say what a firm your size needs: lot sizes, mobilisation time, evidence tests you can meet, and the pass/fail items that would exclude you. The buyer must consider lots and SME barriers before it tenders, so the specification can still move741.
  • Ask whether TUPE is expected and what social value weighting is planned.
  • Say nothing you would not want every other bidder to read: it is all recorded8.

Buyer portals: one free registration each

The CDP holds notices and your supplier record; the bid goes through each buyer's own portal, each a separate registration2023.

Portal Confirmed users (their own pages, October 2026) What to do
The Chest, the North West instance of Proactis ProContract "Over 30" North West councils (Cheshire East's count), confirmed for Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness, Salford, Wigan, Warrington, Wirral, Blackburn with Darwen, Chorley and the six STAR councils (Knowsley, Rochdale, St Helens, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford); Liverpool City Council, GMCA and TfGM call the same site ProContract141513161710. Manchester City Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority were not confirmed Register free; tick your categories and every council you would serve for alerts "on the day that they are advertised"; clarifications through its messaging area; it locks at the deadline181920
Fusion Supplier Portal (Oracle) Lancashire County Council: its "preferred method for managing quotations and tenders"11 Register; it "will not allow you to receive payments" without separate set-up; above-threshold notices also on Find a Tender2111
Atamis, the "Health Family" system Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and many trusts22 One registration per NHS buyer: "Each supplier portal is independent to the buying organisation"23
EU Supply and Multiquote Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust12 Check each trust; the NHS picture is mixed
Jaggaer NHS Supply Chain (all tenders also on Find a Tender, with a procurement calendar); Fusion21 (alerts on Jaggaer One)2425 Register before the calendar date, not after
SAP Ariba NHS Shared Business Services (eTendering "free of charge", plus Find a Tender); Manchester Airports Group (notices on the CDP; a supplier request form, and a request "not to chase")2627 Register once; MAG asks for an EcoVadis assessment after award
In-Tend University of Manchester: registration "simple and free"29 Notifications go to the email you nominate
Mercell NWUPC, the universities' purchasing consortium; tenders also on Find a Tender28 "Registering does not make you a supplier": places are won by tender, six to twelve months before a framework expires
Own portal Procure Plus (housing: 12 frameworks and five DPSs open "at any time"); CDP registration required to tender30 Join the DPS now; watch framework dates

Below the threshold, the portal is where the work is. Knowsley runs its £25,000-to-threshold competitions on The Chest, Wigan requires Chest registration "for all opportunities", and Cheshire East calls The Chest "the main route for procurements over £30,000 (inc. VAT)"311214.

A stale email address is a lost tender

Alerts and clarification answers arrive through the portals. Cheshire East: keep "contact and email addresses up to date on any etendering portal and/or the central digital platform", and ask clarifications through The Chest's messaging area, "otherwise you are not guaranteed a response"19.

Frameworks, dynamic markets, subcontracting and consortia

Frameworks and dynamic markets. Open frameworks reopen on a timetable. G-Cloud 15 went live on 6 August 2026 with applications closed until its 18-month reopening; DOS7, live since 30 January 2026, "will reopen every 18 months", next in summer 20273233. Dynamic markets take applications at any time, and each call-off is advertised on the CDP347. Fusion21 takes applications nine months before its four-yearly renewals25. Watch the Government Commercial Agency's upcoming agreements35; see How to get on a framework.

Subcontracting. GOV.UK suggests approaching large suppliers that already hold contracts, to build a track record5: your "who won" search is the list. Every intended subcontractor is named and checked against the debarment list, and 30-day payment terms flow down the chain375.

Consortia. Section 22 lets you meet a condition of participation through a joint tender, a subcontractor or a guarantee, if the arrangement is legally binding3839. Lancashire's free Consortium Exchange finds partners for "project teams or joint bids"; join by emailing consortiumexchange@lancashire.gov.uk40.

Paid alert services sell one feed across many portals, plus award histories and buyer spend. They cannot sell access: the notices are free on Find a Tender and The Chest1.

Read a notice in ten minutes

Find Where Why it decides the bid
Value, term and extensions The notice's value section. Thresholds and advert triggers include VAT41 Sets the margin available and whether below-threshold rules apply
Lots and reservations A below-threshold notice must now say if it is reserved for SMEs, VCSEs or both4; the buyer must consider lots and give reasons if it does not split7 A lot sized for you, or a reservation, moves the odds more than anything you write
Procedure and stages Open, or competitive flexible, where the buyer "must set out in the tender notice how the competitive flexible procedure is to be carried out"43 Stages, shortlist numbers and negotiation decide the real cost of bidding
Timetable Clarification deadline, submission deadline, award and start dates. The window can be 25 days, or 10 after a planned procurement notice44 Fewer than ten working days of writing time is a no-bid for most small teams5
Conditions of participation The pass/fail gates on legal and financial capacity and technical ability39 A gate you cannot meet now, alone or through a partner, ends it
Award criteria and weightings Must be published with "the relative importance of all the criteria" and whether failing a pass/fail test disqualifies45 Quality-heavy splits suit firms that cannot be cheapest; minimum scores are hidden gates (Liverpool: 3 on critical questions, a 0 anywhere fatal)46
Social value Weighting and method: a priced schedule of measures or a method statement. North West minimums run from 10% (Liverpool, Lancashire) to 20% (GMCA over £100,000)474849 Scored relative to the best offer in Liverpool's October 2026 award, where it decided first place46. See Social value that scores
TUPE Whether staff transfer. TUPE covers a contract moving to a new contractor on re-tender, whatever the size of the business51; Wirral states in its tender documents whether it believes TUPE applies50 Inherited staff set your price floor
Insurance Levels required at contract start. Wirral's standard is £10m public liability, £5m employers' liability and £2m professional indemnity, reducible for low-risk contracts50; cover cannot be required before award39 A broker's quote is enough at bid; buy at award
Portal and format Which portal, file-size and word limits. A tender over "the prescribed word count" may be disregarded; the portal locks at the deadline4520 Register and test the upload in week one

Red flags

Red flag What it looks like What to do
Incumbent-shaped specification A descriptive specification naming one product or method; experience with this buyer required; a named accreditation with no "or equivalent" The last two are unlawful: conditions "cannot relate to a prior award by a particular contracting authority", and "Particular qualifications cannot be required without allowing equivalents"39. Raise it at clarification, citing the guidance, or decline
A timetable you cannot meet A 25-day window with documents arriving late; a clarification deadline within days; a 10-day window with no planned procurement notice, urgency or dynamic-market call-off behind it44 If ten working days of writing are not there, decline and say why in your log
A pass/fail you cannot pass today A certificate held now ("Committing to obtain certification is not sufficient" at NHS Supply Chain)24; audited accounts from a company exempt from audit; insurance certificates before award The last two are challengeable under section 2238. Offer management accounts, bank evidence, a guarantee or a consortium partner39; otherwise decline
Price scored against the lowest bid, heavily weighted "Lowest price scores full marks" at 40% or more A lean competitor sets your ceiling. Bid only if the quality weight can carry a 10 to 15% price gap: Writing the bid

Bid or no bid: decide in a day

The knockout screen, within 24 hours

Stotles asks whether you meet every mandatory requirement, can deliver the full scope in time, find the value worth the effort and have a realistic competitive position: "Answering 'no' to any of these is a reason to reconsider"52. GOV.UK adds the incumbent and your bid-writing capacity5; Thornton & Lowe, whether "a key subject matter expert is on leave during the bid period"53.

Knockout screen (run it the day the alert arrives; any NO = decline and log it)
1. Eligible: legal form, SME/VCSE/local reservation, no exclusion grounds          YES / NO
2. Every condition of participation met now, or by a binding partner or guarantee  YES / NO
3. Full scope deliverable from the start date, with named people                   YES / NO
4. Time: clarification deadline and 10+ days of writing both still possible        YES / NO
5. Price: a deliverable price can win under the published formula and weightings   YES / NO
6. Incumbent: known, and there is a reason it can be displaced (or there is none)  YES / NO

The weighted score

Score each surviving tender 0 to 10 per line. The calculator weights chance of winning 25, strategic fit 20, value 15, deliverability 15, cost to bid 10, doors opened 10 and risk 5. The 70 and 50 cut-offs are a practitioner convention, not a tested law: set your weights once, then keep them for a year.

Chance of winning is the line people fake. Score it from facts: the incumbent's record, the likely field, whether you joined the market engagement, and whether you hold the references the criteria reward36.

What a bid costs: estimates, not benchmarks

Estimate Status
"a good bid can take 10+ days" GOV.UK, guide for VCSEs, updated 21 July 20265
About 35 hours per tender, about six bids a year Older SME survey reported in the trade press; not confirmed for this guide56
A mid-sized public tender "easily requires 40 to 200 hours" Bid-platform article; not confirmed for this guide57
About 100 hours or £10,000 per bid, roughly one win in eight (construction) Older trade-press survey; not confirmed for this guide58
About £600 a day for a bid writer, £659 for a bid manager One agency's own rates, 202655

Illustrative arithmetic: ten days at £600 is £6,000, hired or your own time. On a £100,000 contract at a 20% margin (£20,000), one win in three returns £6,667 per bid and roughly pays; one in eight returns £2,500 and loses money on every bid. Your loss log tells you which you are.

Where the odds are better

Where Why Source
Local government 34% of direct spend to SMEs in 2025, £29.1bn, up every year since 2020; spend with local SMEs "far exceed[s]" spend with non-local SMEs Tussell and BCC72
Lower-value lots "SMEs do better where contract values are lower". Tussell's founder: "reducing average tender values, as Local Government has done, is one of the most effective ways to increase SME participation" Tussell and BCC72
Health and social care The sector driving local government's rising SME share Tussell and BCC72
Below the threshold: from £12,000 or £30,000 up to £135,018 or £207,720, including VAT No suitability stage (section 85); may be reserved for SMEs or VCSEs (section 86) and, since 4 February 2026, by English councils for local or UK suppliers; the notice must say so GOV.UK; SI 2026/360; PPN 023 thresholds41442
Your own council Knowsley: "some competitions are restricted to local suppliers". Salford wants two of the three quotes it seeks under £75,000 from Salford-based firms where they exist Knowsley; Salford strategy 2023-273159
NHS clinical services Bought under the Provider Selection Regime with no minimum value; under the "most suitable provider" route you can make yourself known in writing within 14 days of an intention notice NHS England60. See Selling innovation to the public sector

Real example: the cheapest bid came third (Liverpool City Council, 13 October 2026)

Liverpool's parking enforcement and permit system contract (PR1194, estimated at £806,814.79 excluding VAT over up to seven years) was a further competition under ESPO framework 509_23, run under the 2015 rules because the framework pre-dates the Act. Published weightings: technical 60%, social value 10%, price 30%. Most of the 60 technical questions were pass/fail, with a minimum of 3 on critical questions and a 0 anywhere fatal. Of five bidders, C took the full 30 for the lowest price and came third on 80.06. D won on 91.56: 56.80 technical, 10 out of 10 for social value (scored relative to the best offer) and 24.76 on price46. The council does not say why D's answers scored; the published weights told every bidder that price alone could not carry the bid. Only firms already on the framework could bid.

The weighting and the top two scores46:

Liverpool PR1194: how the marks were weighted
  • Technical 60%
  • Price 30%
  • Social value 10%
Liverpool PR1194: final scores out of 100
Bidder D, winner91.5624.76 on price
Bidder C, lowest price80.06full 30 on price, third place

The decision notes below are invented to show the technique.

Weak decision note (hypothetical)

Saw an office-cleaning tender for a Greater Manchester borough on The Chest, about £180k over three years. We have done offices before and it looks doable. Deadline in three weeks. Let's go for it.

Strong decision note (hypothetical)

Tender: borough council, office cleaning, lot 2 (two sites), £180,000 over 3+1 years, open procedure, closes 12 November, clarifications by 29 October. Gates: Real Living Wage commitment (we pay it); £10m public and £5m employers' liability at contract start (broker quote held); no ISO required. Criteria: quality 60 (mobilisation 20, staffing and retention 20, quality control 10, social value 10); price 40, relative to the lowest. Incumbent: in place since 2019; no published KPIs (under £5m). Score: fit 8, win 5 (price-led incumbent; we expect to be about 10% dearer), value 6, deliver 8, cost 7, risk 7, doors 7: 67, review. To resolve by 24 October: ask at clarification whether TUPE applies and how many staff; if six or fewer at the Real Living Wage we can price within 5% and pursue. Owner: AB.

Build a pipeline you can run in an hour a week

Opportunity tracker (one row per lead; review every Monday)
Ref | Buyer | Title and lot | Route: open / flexible / framework / dynamic market / quote / subcontract
Portal | Est. value and term | Stage: pipeline / PME / tender / award
Dates: PME reply | clarification deadline | submission | award | start
Reservation: SME / VCSE / local | Gates we fail today | Weightings Q / P / SV | Incumbent and since
Bid score /100 | Decision and date | Owner | Next action | Outcome | Assessment summary filed Y/N

The routine54352425761:

The pipeline routine
  1. Daily, ten minutesclear the Find a Tender and Chest alerts; run the knockout screen on anything new
  2. Weeklyupdate the tracker; send clarifications in week one; re-read the clarification log, since deadlines can move both ways
  3. Monthlyread new UK1 and UK2 notices from your ten target buyers; answer one PME; book one meet-the-buyer session; check GCA, NHS Supply Chain and Fusion21 openings
  4. April to Junethe big spenders' 18-month pipelines land within 56 days of their year start: diarise every PME date in your codes
  5. After every resultfile the assessment summary; log the score gap and hours; re-set that buyer's win-chance score

Useful contact is on the record: PME sessions, meet-the-buyer days, clarifications. Cheshire East's rule holds for most buyers: "It is not permissible to contact individuals within the Contracting Authority's Organisation unless explicitly stated"19. More in Relationships first.

In the North West: meet-the-buyer events and a free programme

  • Lancashire County Council runs free Meet the Buyer events with one-to-ones and a webinar option; its children's services event was scheduled for 19 October 2026 at County Hall, Preston. Watch Boost Business Lancashire for the next62.
  • Health Innovation Manchester, "Healthcare Procurement Ready": for SMEs and NHS suppliers, with an "Ask the Buyer" panel from Manchester University NHS FT, Manchester Health and Care Commissioning and the Northern Care Alliance; scheduled for 19 October 2026 at Citylabs 1.063.
  • NHS Supply Chain: a North West Advisory Forum scheduled online for 30 November 2026, and innovation webinars on the last Thursday of each month to 25 March 202764.
  • STAR Procurement Meet the Buyer: held 29 January 2026, free, for micro to medium firms across Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region, with education, housing and health buyers; no 2027 date published at 18 October 202665. Knowsley holds its own "on a regular basis", advertised on The Chest31.
  • Construction: the North West Construction Hub's meet-the-buyer day was 17 June 2026 in Manchester (third-party listing; next date not published); Cheshire West and Chester announced a Northwich one for building trades on 23 January 20266667.
  • Go4Growth: free training, templates, mentoring and a supply-ready accreditation for micro and small firms and VCSEs, with "NO minimum commitment"; it claims 27,000 businesses helped, and Cheshire West points its suppliers to it6869.
  • Cumberland announces supplier events in a business newsletter every Monday70.

Pitfalls

Pitfall What it costs Fix
Chasing everything Ten-plus days a bid, spread across tenders you were never going to win5 The knockout screen the same day; decline below 50 and write down why
Bidding on an incumbent-shaped tender A full bid spent confirming someone else's renewal Spot the red flags; challenge at PME or clarification; otherwise decline
Missing the clarification deadline Cheshire East: ask "within the timescales" or you are "not guaranteed a response"; the answers go to all bidders anyway19 Questions in week one, never on the last day53
Not registered on the CDP A buyer cannot publish your below-threshold award without your identifier; GMCA says registration "will be mandatory"417 Register now, with accounts and connected persons to hand1
Paying to view opportunities Money for what Find a Tender and The Chest give free1 Pay for analysis, if at all; never for access
Still on Contracts Finder alerts Act-era notices missed from 1 October 20264 Rebuild the saved searches on Find a Tender
Wrong portal, dead inbox Lancashire is not on The Chest; each NHS buyer on Atamis is separate; alerts go to an unwatched address112319 One registration per target portal, one shared inbox, checked daily
Portal problems on the day Late registration, oversize files, failed uploads; a late tender may be disregarded7145 Register and test the upload in week one; submit a day early; keep the receipt

Checklist

Questions

Where do I find UK public sector tenders now that Contracts Finder has closed?

On Find a Tender, the public face of the Central Digital Platform, where every Act-era notice is published; Contracts Finder's publication role was "discontinued, or replaced" from 1 October 20264. Searching is free, and a GOV.UK One Login adds saved searches and email alerts12. North West council work below the threshold is often only on The Chest31.

Do I need to pay for a tender alert service?

No. "There are no charges and you should not pay to view opportunities in the public sector"1. Paid services add aggregation and buyer data, not access.

How do I find tenders from North West councils?

Register free on The Chest (ProContract), which carries over 30 North West councils plus GMCA, TfGM and Liverpool City Council141617. Lancashire County Council uses its own Fusion Supplier Portal11.

What is a pipeline notice?

An advance list of contracts a buyer expects to tender. Authorities spending over £100m a year publish an 18-month pipeline of procurements over £2m within 56 days of their financial year starting7. On Find a Tender, filter by notice type UK13.

How do I decide whether to bid for a tender?

Run a knockout screen within 24 hours, then give the survivors a weighted score out of 100. Pursue at 70 or more, review 50 to 69, decline below 50 and log the reason525.

How long does a public sector bid take?

GOV.UK says "a good bid can take 10+ days"5. Other estimates run from about 35 to 200 hours; none is a confirmed benchmark5657. Build your bid library before the notice: a tender window can be as short as 25 days44.

Can a small firm with no public-sector track record win?

Yes, by starting where the rules help: below-threshold contracts can be reserved for SMEs, VCSEs or local firms41; subcontracting builds a record5; a consortium partner or guarantee can meet a condition you cannot meet alone3840; and a buyer cannot require experience with itself in particular39.

Sources

  1. GOV.UK, "The Procurement Act 2023: a short guide for suppliers", updated 23 June 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-short-guides/the-procurement-act-2023-a-short-guide-for-suppliers-html ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. Find a Tender, service home page: GOV.UK One Login, "save search criteria", "sign up for notifications via email", read 18 October 2026. https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search ↩↩

  3. Find a Tender, notice search and its filters (procurement stage; notice types UK1 to UK17; industry CPV code; contract location; suitability; commercial tool; value; dates; "Save search"), read 18 October 2026. https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search/Results ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  4. The Procurement (Amendment) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/360, made 23 March 2026: CDP identifier before below-threshold notices, reservation statements in notices, Contracts Finder from 1 October 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/360/made ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  5. GOV.UK, "VCSEs: a guide to working with government", updated 21 July 2026. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vcses-a-guide-to-working-with-government ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  6. Wirral Council, "Procurement Act 2023: guidance for suppliers". https://www.wirral.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-contracts/procurement-act-2023-guidance-suppliers ↩

  7. YPO and Doncaster Council, "Procurement Act Guide for SMEs", June 2024, written before commencement: pipeline details may differ in the final Regulations. https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/Documents/DocumentView/Stream/Media/Default/Corporate%20Procurement/Procurement%20Act%20Guide%20for%20SMEs%20-%20June%202024%20(1).pdf ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  8. GOV.UK, Procurement Act 2023 guidance: preliminary market engagement. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-define-phase/guidance-preliminary-market-engagement-html ↩↩↩↩

  9. Wirral Council, "Tenders and contracts": pipeline over £2m on Find a Tender. https://www.wirral.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-contracts ↩

  10. Transport for Greater Manchester, "Procurement". https://tfgm.com/procurement ↩↩

  11. Lancashire County Council, "How to do business with the county council". https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-procurement/how-to-do-business-with-the-county-council/ ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  12. Wigan Council, "Business and tendering". https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Business/Council-Procurement/businessandtendering.aspx ↩↩↩

  13. STAR Procurement, "Supplier resources" (Chest registration guide, Supplier Information Form, partner pipelines) https://www.star-procurement.gov.uk/Suppliers/Supplier-resources.aspx; the six partner councils: https://www.star-procurement.gov.uk/ ↩↩

  14. Cheshire East Council, "e-tendering" (The Chest). https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/business/procurement/doing_business/e-tendering.aspx ↩↩↩↩↩

  15. Councils confirming The Chest / ProContract on their own supplier pages, read 18 October 2026: Cheshire West and Chester https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/business/working-with-cheshire-west-and-chester-council/doing-business-with-the-council; Cumberland https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/procurement-social-value-tenders-and-contracts/current-opportunities-suppliers; Westmorland and Furness https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/procurement-tenders-and-social-value-opportunities/procurement-and-tendering; Salford https://www.salford.gov.uk/business-and-inward-investment/supplying-the-council/; Wigan https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Business/Council-Procurement/businessandtendering.aspx; Warrington https://www.warrington.gov.uk/business; Wirral https://www.wirral.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-contracts; Blackburn with Darwen https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/business/tenders-procurements-and-contracts/tenders; Chorley https://chorley.gov.uk/transparency/procurement-1/3; Knowsley https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/business-licences-and-consumers/procurement-and-contracting/working-council ↩

  16. Liverpool City Council, "Tender opportunities". https://liverpool.gov.uk/business/procurement-and-contracts/tender-opportunities/ ↩↩

  17. Greater Manchester Combined Authority, "Procurement". https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/who-we-are/accounts-transparency-and-governance/procurement/ ↩↩↩

  18. Salford City Council, "Supplying the council". https://www.salford.gov.uk/business-and-inward-investment/supplying-the-council/ ↩

  19. Cheshire East Council, "Supplier guidance on submitting quotation and tendering responses: top tips", March 2025 (PDF). https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/business/doing-business/supplier-guidance-on-submitting-quotations-and-tender-responses.pdf ↩↩↩↩↩

  20. Westmorland and Furness Council, "Procurement and tendering". https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/procurement-tenders-and-social-value-opportunities/procurement-and-tendering ↩↩↩

  21. Lancashire County Council, "Fusion Supplier Portal". https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/fusion-supplier-portal/ ↩

  22. Atamis, "Health Family" single eCommercial system, welcome page. https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome ↩

  23. Atamis supplier support, "Registering with a supplier portal". https://suppliersupport.atamis.co.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/4613254620319-Registering-with-a-Supplier-Portal ↩↩↩↩

  24. NHS Supply Chain, "Contract and tender process". https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/suppliers/contract-and-tender-process/ ↩↩↩

  25. Fusion21, "Become a supplier". https://www.fusion21.co.uk/become-a-supplier ↩↩↩

  26. NHS Shared Business Services, "Framework agreements: supplier information". https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/supplier-information/framework-agreements/ ↩

  27. Manchester Airports Group, "Procurement and contracts". https://www.magairports.com/work-with-us/procurement-and-contracts/ ↩

  28. NWUPC, "Become a supplier": Mercell e-sourcing portal, "Registering does not make you a supplier", tendering six to twelve months before a framework expires. https://www.nwupc.ac.uk/become-a-supplier/ ↩

  29. University of Manchester, "Bidding for contracts". https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/procurement/supplying/bidding-for-contracts/ ↩

  30. Procure Plus, "Procurement Act 2023 and social housing" https://www.procure-plus.com/procurement-act-2023-social-housing/; dynamic purchasing systems https://www.procure-plus.com/dynamic-purchasing-systems/ ↩

  31. Knowsley Council, "Working with the council", a page that still cites PCR 2015. https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/business-licences-and-consumers/procurement-and-contracting/working-council ↩↩↩↩

  32. Government Commercial Agency, G-Cloud 15 (RM1557.15). https://www.gca.gov.uk/agreements/RM1557.15 ↩

  33. Government Commercial Agency, Digital Outcomes 7 (RM1043.9). https://www.gca.gov.uk/agreements/RM1043.9 ↩

  34. GOV.UK, the official Procurement Act 2023 e-learning, module 5: frameworks and dynamic markets, based on the draft Regulations and accurate at 26 July 2024. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-official-procurement-act-2023-e-learning/module-5-frameworks-and-dynamic-markets ↩

  35. Government Commercial Agency, home page: upcoming agreements, monthly "Changes to our agreements", Public Procurement Gateway account. https://www.gca.gov.uk/ ↩↩

  36. Government Commercial Agency, "Write effective bids". https://www.gca.gov.uk/how-to-supply/write-effective-bids ↩

  37. GOV.UK, Procurement Act 2023 guidance: exclusions. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-procure-phase/guidance-exclusions-html ↩

  38. Procurement Act 2023, section 22, conditions of participation, in force 24 February 2025. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/22 ↩↩↩

  39. GOV.UK, Procurement Act 2023 guidance: conditions of participation, updated 17 August 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-procure-phase/guidance-conditions-of-participation-html ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  40. Lancashire County Council, "Consortium Exchange". https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-procurement/consortium-exchange/ ↩↩↩

  41. GOV.UK, Procurement Act 2023 guidance: below-threshold contracts, updated 13 July 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-define-phase/guidance-below-threshold-contracts-html ↩↩↩↩↩

  42. Osborne Clarke, "Regulatory Outlook, February 2026: regulated procurement": 2026 thresholds under PPN 023 and the local reservation Order. https://www.osborneclarke.com/insights/regulatory-outlook-february-2026-regulated-procurement ↩

  43. GOV.UK, Procurement Act 2023 guidance: competitive tendering procedures. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-define-phase/competitive-tendering-procedures-html ↩

  44. GOV.UK, Procurement Act 2023 guidance: time periods. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-procure-phase/time-periods-html ↩↩↩↩

  45. GOV.UK, Procurement Act 2023 guidance: assessing competitive tenders. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents-procure-phase/assessing-competitive-tenders-html ↩↩↩

  46. Liverpool City Council, Cabinet, 13 October 2026, "Award of Contract: Parking Enforcement and Permit Services Transformation Programme", Appendix 1, evaluation outcome https://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/documents/s329288/Appendix%201%20Evaluation%20Outcome%20and%20Award%20Recommendation%20-%20not%20exempt.pdf; Cabinet report https://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/documents/s329286/Penalty%20Charge%20Notice%20and%20Permit%20Management%20System.pdf ↩↩↩↩

  47. Liverpool City Council, Social Value Policy for commissioning and procurement, February 2026 (PDF). https://liverpool.gov.uk/media/n5xbkrzn/social-value-policy-commissioning-and-procurement.pdf ↩

  48. Lancashire County Council, "Social value policy and framework" 2026-28. https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/business/social-value/social-value-policy-and-framework/ ↩

  49. Greater Manchester Combined Authority, "Driving Social Value in Greater Manchester Public Procurement", report of 24 March 2023. https://democracy.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/documents/s25480/15%20GMCA%20Report%20Driving%20Social%20Value%20Update.pdf ↩

  50. Wirral Council, Contract Procedure Rules, February 2025 (PDF): insurance levels and the TUPE statement in tender documents. https://www.wirral.gov.uk/files/contract-procedure-rules.pdf-0 ↩↩

  51. GOV.UK, "Business transfers, takeovers and TUPE". https://www.gov.uk/transfers-takeovers ↩

  52. Stotles, "How to write a tender proposal that wins in 2026". https://www.stotles.com/resource/blog/how-to-write-a-tender-proposal ↩↩

  53. Thornton & Lowe, Charles Grosstephan, "What to do first when an ITT lands", 23 July 2026. https://thorntonandlowe.com/itt-what-to-do-first/ ↩↩

  54. Executive Compass, Ciaran Brass, "The importance of tender compliance in your bid process", 2 July 2026. https://www.executivecompass.co.uk/blog/top-tips/the-importance-of-tender-compliance-in-your-bid-process/ ↩

  55. Bid Solutions, home page: self-reported win rate and typical day rates, read 18 October 2026. https://bidsolutions.com/ ↩↩

  56. smallbusiness.co.uk, "Small businesses hit hard by costly public sector tender process" (reported; the article was not opened for this guide). https://smallbusiness.co.uk/small-businesses-hit-hard-by-costly-public-sector-tender-process-2383643/ ↩↩

  57. Mercell, "Bid/no-bid in public procurement" (reported; not opened for this guide). https://info.mercell.com/en/procurement-insights/bid-no-bid-public-procurement ↩↩

  58. Building, "Millions wasted on old-fashioned bidding" (reported; not opened for this guide). https://www.building.co.uk/millions-wasted-on-old-fashioned-bidding/3046841.article ↩

  59. Salford City Council, Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2023-2027 (PDF). https://www.salford.gov.uk/media/399037/scc-procurement-strategy-2023-27.pdf ↩

  60. NHS England, "The Provider Selection Regime: statutory guidance". https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/the-provider-selection-regime-statutory-guidance/ ↩

  61. The Procurement Regulations 2024, SI 2024/692, regulation 31, assessment summaries. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/692/regulation/31 ↩↩↩↩

  62. Boost Business Lancashire, "In person LCC Meet the Buyer event for children's services", 19 October 2026. https://www.boostbusinesslancashire.co.uk/events/in-person-lcc-meet-the-buyer-event-for-childrens-services ↩

  63. Health Innovation Manchester, "Healthcare Procurement Ready: building value and understanding the buyer", 19 October 2026. https://healthinnovationmanchester.com/events/healthcare-procurement-ready/ ↩

  64. NHS Supply Chain, events: North West Advisory Forum, 30 November 2026; monthly innovation webinars. https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/events ↩

  65. STAR Procurement, "Meet the Buyer 2026", 29 January 2026. https://www.star-procurement.gov.uk/Events/Meet-the-Buyer-2026/Star-Procurement-Events.aspx ↩

  66. North West Construction Hub Meet the Buyer, 17 June 2026, third-party event listing. https://eventslist.co.uk/manchester/events/nwch-meet-the-buyer-event-2026-06-17 ↩

  67. Cheshire West and Chester Council, news, 23 January 2026: Northwich meet-the-buyer for construction and building trades. https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/news/construction-and-building-businesses-urged-to-attend-northwich-meet-the-buyer-event ↩

  68. Go4Growth, home page, read 18 October 2026. https://www.go4growth.co.uk/ ↩

  69. Cheshire West and Chester Council, "Doing business with the council". https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/business/working-with-cheshire-west-and-chester-council/doing-business-with-the-council ↩

  70. Cumberland Council, "Current opportunities for suppliers". https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/procurement-social-value-tenders-and-contracts/current-opportunities-suppliers ↩

  71. Grahame Steed, "Common mistakes suppliers make in tender submissions", Tracker Intelligence. https://www.trackerintelligence.com/resources/procurement-news/common-mistakes-suppliers-make-in-tender-submissions/ ↩

  72. Tussell and British Chambers of Commerce, "SME Procurement Tracker 2026": England, calendar 2025, direct above-threshold invoice spend. https://www.kentinvictachamber.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Tussell__BCC_SME_Procurement_Tracker_2026_FINAL_-_pdf.pdf ↩↩↩↩↩↩

Written for businesses, founders and researchers in the North West of England and checked against the sources listed above on 18 October 2026. Funders change their rules, so always read the current call before you apply. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Public contractsHow public procurement works now: a bidder's map of the Procurement Act 2023One map of the Procurement Act 2023: what changed, each stage of a contract and your move at it, 2026 thresholds, financial tests, payment and where SMEs win.21 min readPublic contractsWho buys, what they need from a supplier, and the compliance to get good atCouncils, the NHS, central government, universities, housing, police, transport, utilities and schools: what each buys, what it insists on, and the compliance stack with costs.22 min readPublic contractsHow to get on a framework, and win work once you are on itWhich frameworks matter for North West firms, when each opens, what joining costs, and how call-offs are actually won. A place is a licence to compete, not an order.21 min readPublic contractsWriting the bid: method statements, evidence and the scoring behind the marksHow evaluators score public tenders, what moves a 3 to a 5, the price formula, and a method for writing answers that earn the marks, with templates.20 min readPeople and relationshipsRelationships first: who to talk to before you apply, and the North West events worth your timeKnown applicants win far more often. How to talk to funders, investors and buyers within the rules, and the North West rooms worth your time, with dates and costs.18 min read

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